I continue to enjoy blogging about books. I like to talk about my impressions from books, the way the worlds are built and characters are crafted, and if the plot sustains itself. I also appreciate feedback from people who read my reviews, so I also try to recommend (or not) to particular types of readers.

This year, my favorite novel was The Martian, a science fiction telling of an astronaut stuck on Mars by accident. This choice is a departure from my previous two favorites (Written in Red for 2013 and Silence for 2012), which were both urban fantasy of various degrees. I also discovered my ranting ranty rant skills over a tasteless comic book and a paranormal romance that could have been really good if it had ditched the overshot romance part.

The total of books/comics/stories recorded as new reads this year was 61, but included quite a few single-story, online publications. 65 stories hit the re-read list, but I can confess to quite a few more tastings of re-reads. That was where I flipped open a book to re-read a few scenes and then put it back. Murder of Crows was one of those such books, as was The Martian.

I stole the following Q&A from Ambyr. I modified it so that we are only talking about full-length books rather than the many short stories and tidbits that I sampled across the year.

How many full-length books read in 2014?50

Fiction/Non-Fiction ratio?All to None

Ratio of Male/Female/Mixed team authors?By book - 17:26:7

Favorite book?The Martian

Least favorite?How to tell if your Cat is Plotting to Kill You

Oldest book read?Legend - Oct 1, 1994

Newest?Dead But Not Forgotten (Nov. 25, 2014)

Longest book title?Dead But Not Forgotten: Stories from the World of Sookie Stackhouse

Shortest title?Touch, Fated

Most books read by one author this year?Seanan McGuire: Half-off Ragnarok, Sparrow Hill Road, Indexing, The Winter Long

Any books in translation or not in English?Sadly, not this year.

Book that most changed my perspectiveI didn't read a lot of mentally challenging books, as far as my perspective goes.Lines of Departure brings up the idea that we are just bugs (pests) in an alien's perspective.Fated gave the author the interesting challenge of surprising someone who can know the future.The Goblin Emperor reminded me that there were many people who did not want to rule when they ascended the throne.

April* 4/2 Games Creatures Play, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner. Urban Fantasy. Hardback, 356 pages. Anthology. Probably going to loan/give it away.* 4/4 - Moonscapes, edited by Dean Westley Smith. Science Fiction Anthology. Paperback, 251 pages. Fiction River #6.4/10 - Clean Sweep, by Ilona Andrews. Urban Fantasy (YA). Paperback, 227 pages. Keeping it.* 4/15 - "Roving Gambler" by Sharon Lee. Splinter in the Liaden Universe. Currently available here.4/16 - "Curran Naked Dinner POV" by Ilona Andrews. Short story in the Kate Daniels series, explaining the other side of why Curran stood up Kate for their special dinner. Found online here.4/15 - "Curran POV Vol 2: Fathers and Sons" by Ilona Andrews. This is the side of the story after Curran wakes up at the end of Magic Bleeds and challenges his pack council for their twenty-two attacks on Kate. Found online here.* 4/18 - Ghost Seer, by Robin Owens. Paranormal Romance (yes, that is a type). Paperback, 312 pages. First in the series. Giveawaybox.4/20 - The Martian, by Andy Weir. Science Fiction. Hardback, 369 pages. Stand-alone.4/21 - How to Tell if Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You, by Matthew Inman. Comics. Paperback, 131 pages. Giveawaybox. I actively recommmend against this book.4/23 - Fated, by Benedict Jacka. Urban Fantasy. Paperback, 295 pages. First in the series.4/25 - The School for Good and Evil, by Soman Chainani. Fantasy, paperback, 488 pages. First in the series. Giveawaybox.

June* 6/2 - "IM", by Seanan McGuire. Urban Fantasy. Short story, published on the InCryptid Stories section of the web site.* 6/4 - Blood Red, by Mercedes Lackey. Fantasy, hardback, 312 pages. Book 9 (really 10) in the Elemental Masters series.6/21 - Night Owls, by Lauren Roy. Urban Fantasy. Paperback, 296 pages. First in the series. Giveawaybox.6/29 - No Hero, by Jonathan Wood. Urban fantasy, paperback, 380 pages. First in a series. Giveawaybox.6/30 - "Velveteen vs Santa Claus," by Seanan McGuire. Fantasy. Posted on her LiveJournal. One in a large series of short stories.

July* 7/4 - Do You Bite Your Foot at Me, Sir? by Mel Hynes and J. Grant. Comics. Paperback, ? Pages. Book ten in the Two Lumps series. Keeping it.* 7/12 - The Goblin Emperor, by Katherine Addison. YA fantasy. Hardback, 446 pages. Currently a stand-alone. Can't decide yet.added to the list in 2015 after someone pointed it out"Each to Each," originally published in Lightspeed Magazine's "Women Destroy Science Fiction" issue. Available from Lightspeed, June 2014. Military mermaids in a science fiction sea.

August* 8/1 - Magic Breaks, by Ilona Andrews. Urban fantasy. Hardback, 381 pages. Book 7 in the Kate Daniels series. Keeping it.* 8/5 - "Oh Pretty Bird," by Seanan McGuire. Urban Fantasy. Short story, published on the InCryptid Stories section of the web site.* 8/5 - "Bury Me in Satin", by Seanan McGuire. Urban Fantasy. Short story, published on the InCryptid Stories section of the web site.* 8/8 - Cast in Flame, by Michelle Sagara. Fantasy. Giant paperback, 492 pages. Book 10 in the Chronicles of Elantra. Keeping it.8/17 - Legend, by David Gemmell. Fantasy. Paperback, 345 pages. Book 1 in the Drenai Saga. Giveawaybox.* 8/27 - The House of Four Winds, by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory. Fantasy. Hardback, 300 pages. First in the One Dozen Daughters series. Giveawaybox.8/31 - Indexing, by Seanan McGuire. Urban Fantasy. Paperback, 404 pages. First in the series. Giveawaybox.

November* 11/3 - "Velveteen vs. Global Warming" by Seanan McGuire. Urban Fantasy. Short story published online* 11/3 - "Snakes and Ladders", by Seanan McGuire. Urban Fantasy. Short story, published on the InCryptid Stories section of the web site.* 11/4 - "The Fixed Stars," by Seanan McGuire. Urban fantasy, October Daye short story published in Shattered Shields anthology, which I don't commit to finishing or keeping.* 11/5 - "Driving Jenny Home," by Seanan McGuire. Urban fantasy, stand-alone short story published in Out of Tune anthology, which I don't commit to finishing or keeping.11/13 - Terms of Enlistment, by Marko Kloos. Science Fiction. Paperback and e-book, 334 pages. Borrowed.* 11/15 - Lines of Departure, by Marko Kloos. Science Fiction. Paperback and e-book, 315 pages. Borrowed.* 11/16 - Zen Pencils: Cartoon Quotes from Inspirational Folks, by Gavin Than. Comics. Paperback, 175 pages. Keeping it to loan it out.* 11/20 - "Velveteen Presents The Princess vs. Public Relations" by Seanan McGuire. Urban Fantasy. Short story of the Velveteen universe, published online.* 11/21 - "Velveteen vs. The Thaw" by Seanan McGuire, Urban Fantasy short story in the Velveteen universe. Posted online.

December*12/9 - "White as a Raven's Wing," by Seanan McGuire. Urban Fantasy. Short story, published on the InCryptid Stories section of the web site.*12/15 - "The Night Don't Seem So Lonely," by Sharon Lee. Urban Fantasy. Short story, published on the Baen web site.*12/24 - Dead But Not Forgotten: Stories from the World of Sookie Stackhouse, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. p. Keller. Urban fantasy. Hardback, 343 pages. In the universe of... Giveawaybox.12/27 - Point Your Face at This: Drawings, by Demetri Martin. Comics. Paperback, 288 pages. Excerpts from The New Yorker. Giveawaybox.12/29 - Slave to Sensation, by Nalini Singh. Paranormal romance. Paperback, 338 pages. First in the Psy-Changeling series. Giveawaybox

Goodness that's a lot of books. And many of them look like good fun!I read a couple InCryptid's last night after seeing you mention that some were available online. Thank you!

Do you know if it's common for authors to have tip jars where you can give a little when you really enjoyed a library book? I'm not interested in purchasing books because then I'd have to store them (and a higher percent would go to the author with the tip model, though I know it wouldn't actually help their publisher numbers). Things I thought of late last night and haven't bothered to go actually look up on my own.

Many of the authors who I read online have tip jars. If they are not specifically obvious, then they are probably only "set out" during special events. If you have a specific author in mind, I can let you know if I know. I have the addresses for Lee/Miller and McGuire if those are two you need.